Seats for a kiddo w/ special needs

Beth. · Jun 11, 2010

Posting for a friend from another board ...

My family is taking a cross country trip by car on Monday. I need to buy my DD a 5 pt harness car seat. DD is very disabled. Super low tone. She is 46 pounds and 48 inches. I drive a suburban so size really is not an issue. SHe is obviously super skinny so a decently padded seat would be awesome. I guess the new rules on car-seat.org require you to wait to be registered and I was hoping to go grab a seat at lunch. But if anyone feels inclined, you can feel free to post my question over there. Basically, I am looking for the most comfy seat that offers the most stability for the tallest kid in a 5 pt. harness. THoughts?

aeormsby · Jun 11, 2010

Do you know a torso height at all? I'm trying to think of something with better recline (convertible?) but some might be outgrown by torso already.

firemomof3 · Jun 11, 2010

My dd1 is about 49" and I would look at the new Recaro ProSport Britax Regent (if you can find one) or Britax Frontier. Those are the only 3 seats that I can think of that would accomidate a child that tall. Hopefully some others will chime in.

Louisa · Jun 11, 2010

with such short notice, i think your best option is a fronteir 85 that you can pick up at babies r us
the recaro would be great but i am not sure where you will find one in person

Jennifer mom to my 7 · Jun 11, 2010

Long or short torsoed? IF she is short torsoed, you might be able to try a graco myride 65. Do we know what seats she fits in by torso height?

Jennifer mom to my 7 · Jun 11, 2010

Ooh, or is there someone she can borrow a regent from? Although that might not be supportive enough on the sides for the low tone.

flipper68 · Jun 12, 2010

A Regent won't be supportive for a kid that needs torso support. If she still fits height wise, an MA usually provides enough support. And if she's super skinny, you could use rolled towels along the sides.

My young friend with CP (absolutely need lateral supports) did very well with an MA and outgrew it around 8 years old.

What is she using now?

Torso height is the key question for what seats might work.

BookMama · Jun 12, 2010

Jennifer mom to my 7 said:
Long or short torsoed? IF she is short torsoed, you might be able to try a graco myride 65. Do we know what seats she fits in by torso height?

I don't know about a My Ride. My DS is pretty short-torsoed, and when he was 49" (and about 50 lbs. so not a ton bigger than the child in the OP's post) he technically fit in the My Ride, but was quite squished and rather uncomfortable. The top harness slots were barely above his shoulders.

luckyclov · Jun 28, 2010

My DD is 6 years old. She has diffuse hypotonia (low tone). We'v had her in a Britax Regent for the last 2 years. We spend a LOT of time in the car traveling on a regular/routine basis and also for trips/vacations (since we don't fly unless we absolutely have to), and we have no complaints about the seat. She doesn't, either. They were, unfortunately, discontinued, but if you look hard, you can still find them (you just lose some time on the expiration date).

carseatcoach · Jun 28, 2010

What seat is she in now, how does she fit in it, and why does it need to be replaced?

Seats for a kiddo w/ special needs

Beth.

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aeormsby

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firemomof3

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Louisa

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Jennifer mom to my 7

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BookMama

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